The catastrophic wildfires barreling across California, which include the second- and third-largest in state history, have now burned through more than 1.4 million acres, claimed more than 1,000 homes and other buildings, and killed at least seven people.
It is a familiar devastation. This is the fourth consecutive year of an apocalyptic new era in the state, one marked by the horror of Paradise in 2018 and now, a convergence of crises.
Wildfires have scarred much of California, but the news that Big Basin was burning brought a particular kind of grief.
The 118-year-old state park is California’s oldest. Sprawling across 18,000 acres, it’s home to the largest continuous stand of ancient coast redwoods south of San Francisco.
Those towering redwoods of the coast have welcomed generations of Californians — and certainly many visitors — into their fold. They’ve seen us grow summer by summer from toddlers into adults; seen us return for weddings, for a dying parent’s last hurrah, for our own children’s first ventures onto the forest floor.
Like many Bay Area natives, I visited Big Basin often as a child. We went for our own pleasure, of course. But just as frequently, we went to Big Basin to show off its magic to out-of-town visitors. Lush and resonant with life, it was the crowning jewel of the place we’d made home.
This is the earliest photo I could find of my family’s trips, roughly a year after we moved to the U.S. (Don’t mistake that scowl for any displeasure with the setting. I suspect it had more to do with my curious choice of forest attire.)
Suddenly, the photo has become a precious artifact. As Darryl Young, who learned to camp at Big Basin, told us earlier this week: “It’s hard to see your memories burn.”
Most, if not all, of the park’s structures have been razed by the flames. (The Great Depression-era amphitheater, with its soft wood and squat shape, is a special loss for children. It was the consummate natural playground.)
If there’s any comfort to be found, it’s that despite our own sentimentality, the forest defies any anthropocentrism. Redwood trees are defined by their resilience. Most are expected to survive the fires — just as they have for hundreds, even thousands of years.
Do you have memories of Big Basin Redwoods State Park? Share them with us below. And if you have old photos or videos, we’d love to see those, too. We may include them in a future article.
Share Your Memories of Big Basin Redwoods State Park
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August 26, 2020 at 02:40AM
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Share Your Memories of Big Basin Redwoods State Park - The New York Times
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